If your child has lost consciousness or has sustained any other injuries, please dial 911 or go directly to the closest emergency room.
If no additional injuries are present, please contact our office at (757) 759 - 8041 so that we may address any oral injuries. Time is often working against us so please call ASAP to enable us to provide appropriate care for your child.
Toothache
Clean the area of the affected tooth. If there is a known cavity, rinsing with warm water and using dental floss to remove impacted food debris often provides temporary relief. Alternating Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Motrin (ibuprofen) every three hours is a very effective to way alleviate dental pain. If the pain persists, contact our office.
Facial Swelling
Apply a cold compress and contact us or a physician immediately. If the swelling is hard to the touch, encroaching the area of the eye, and/or is causing difficulty breathing, visit your nearest emergency room immediately.
Bitten Lip or Tongue
Clean the area gently with a cloth and apply a cold compress or ice to reduce swelling. If the bleeding doesn't stop, go to the nearest hospital emergency room immediately.
Fractured, Displaced, or Knocked-out Teeth
For a fractured tooth, rinse your child's mouth out with warm water to clean out any debris. Use a cold compress on the child's cheek or gum near the affected area to keep any swelling down. Call our office immediately.
Minor fractures may not need treatment or only need to be smoothed down so there is no sharp edge to irritate the lips or tongue. Larger fractures may need to be restored with a composite (white) restoration. If the fracture is so large that the pulp (nerve and blood vessel inside the tooth) is involved, the tooth may require additional treatment in order to save it.
If there is an oral injury where a tooth has been displaced but it remains in the socket, clean the area with warm water and (if possible) attempt to gently reposition it. Once repositioned, have your child hold it in place by biting on a clean piece of gauze and contact our office immediately.
If your child loses a tooth from an injury, try to remain calm. Call our office immediately and we will help you determine whether it is an adult or baby tooth. Baby teeth are NOT reimplanted in order to avoid damaging the developing adult tooth. If it is an adult tooth, avoid touching the root and gently rinse the tooth under running water. Once clean, hold it by the crown (the end that looks like a shovel) and attempt to reinsert it into the socket. Again, your child can keep it in place by biting down on a clean piece of gauze. If that is not possible, put the tooth in a small container with milk or saliva, and immediately bring it with your child to our office or the emergency room. Unfortunately, teeth that have been out of the mouth or have been dry for more than an hour have a very small chance of being saved.